Greek Orthodox Easter 2023 Dates, Differences And How It's Celebrated

Churches in many parts of the world observe a different calendar for Easter, including Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Ukraine.

April 21 is Easter again this year because two different calendars are used.

Many Christians will follow Easter on the Gregorian calendar, introduced in 1582. The Eastern Orthodox Church bases its Easter dates on the Julian calendar, which has been used since 45 BC. Original until 1582.

For this reason, Greek Orthodox Easter and Greek Easter can vary yearly, as in 2017. In other years, the two holidays occur on different days. They were four weeks apart, and they were able to celebrate two festivals of up to five weeks' duration apart.

When Is Greek Easter In 2023?

The dates for the Greek Orthodox Easter are as follows:

Friday, April 14, is Good Friday.

Holy Saturday - April 15, 2023.

Easter or Easter Day - April 16, 2023

Easter Monday - April 17, 2023.

This year that is a week earlier than Western Christian Easter; it is called Greek Easter. It should not be confused with the Western Christian Easter celebrated in countries such as the United States. Other countries where Orthodox Easter is observed are Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Cyprus, Moldova, North Macedonia, Belarus, Montenegro, Russia, and Georgia.

Is It A Bank Holiday?

Orthodox Friday - also known as Great Friday and in Greek as Meg & Alpha and Speva isn't a bank holiday in the UK, while Orthodox Easter Monday, also called Bright Monday and in Greek as Deft & Alpha, is not a bank holiday either.

No Orthodox Easter holidays in any of the three nations that mainly observe Western Christian traditions. Unlike the United Kingdom, they do not celebrate Eastern religious holidays either.

But those countries where Orthodox Easter is the principal holiday will have their public holidays on the equivalent of Good Friday and Easter Monday.

How Is Greek Easter Celebrated?

The primary date is the Feast of Easter, or Easter Day when Christ's Resurrection occurred. The fasting of Lent continues through Holy Week, which ends on Easter Sunday.

In Greece, preparations begin on Holy Thursday. Easter bread is baked, and eggs are dyed red. Red is a color of life and symbolizes the blood of Jesus.

Good Friday is a sad day. Strict adherents do not eat or cook at all, but if cooking is necessary, only simple foods, such as tahini soup, are consumed.

Flowers are brought to the church for decoration, symbolizing the body of Christ, and transported in a procession during the Feast of Lamentations.

On Easter Saturday, people mayiritsa is a soup made by mixing lamb or goat kid offal with tripe and other meats and vegetables and then cooking it on the stove. Sometimes, chicken is used instead of lamb or goat kid. It's usually heated to a low setting at dinnertime, so it may be consumed when they return.

The congregation passes around an altar candle lit at midnight as the Eternal Flame is lit. Afterward, before dawn on Easter Sunday, there are morning services and communion.

Traditionally, worshippers would carry their Flame home and light other candles. Families would then gather around a table and break their fast with soup, eggs, and bread.

On Easter Sunday, a roasted lamb is eaten, and residents enjoy a feast packed with eating and drinking until late in the evening.

In Greece, the Eternal Flame reaches the country by military jet on Easter Sunday and is transported to local parishes by priests at midnight. Church bells ring across the country, ships' horns blare, floodlights illuminate, and fireworks illuminate the sky.

Where Do The Celebrations Take Place In Birmingham?

Daily services take place for Orthodox Easter during Holy Week in Birmingham.

Churches in town include the Greek Orthodox Church of Theotokos and St Andreas Dormitory in Summer Hill, downtown Birmingham, and the Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity in Erdington.